Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 8, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nonobjective
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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"Could" and the Subjunctive MoodWe use the modal verb "could" instead of "can" when describing an ability that is desired or wished for. This is known as the subjunctive mood. In what kinds of situations is the subjunctive mood typically used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ArabesqueThough the arabesque motif most likely originated with the works of Hellenistic craftsmen in Asia Minor, the complex, linear style of decoration became typical of Islamic ornamentation around 1000 CE and thus became associated with Arab culture. It is characterized by symmetric, interlacing geometric patterns with flowing lines and often incorporates flower or animal motifs and Arabic calligraphy. Why are mistakes in the complicated, repetitive patterns sometimes made intentionally? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Krak des Chevaliers Conquered (1271)One of the most important preserved medieval military castles in the world, the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. The largest Crusader fortress in the Holy Land, it could hold up to 2,000 soldiers and included a chapel, a storage facility, and two stables that could accommodate up to 1,000 horses. Though it is estimated that the Hospitallers could have withstood a siege for five years, the fortress was captured in 1271. How? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 David Rittenhouse (1732)Rittenhouse was a renowned American astronomer, inventor, mathematician, surveyor, and the first director of the US Mint. A clockmaker by trade, he developed many mathematical instruments, as well as perhaps the first telescope in the US. He later used tools he created to establish several state lines as well as part of the boundary known as the Mason-Dixon Line. What is said to have happened to Rittenhouse in 1769 as he observed the rare transit of Venus that he had long anticipated? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 One of our first amusements as children (if we have any imagination at all) is to get out of our own characters, and to try the characters of other personages as a change—to be fairies, to be queens, to be anything, in short, but what we really are.Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in donkeys— In an exceptionally long period of time. The phrase likely originated as the rhyming slang, shortened to simply "donkeys," of "donkey's ears" —where "ears" rhymes with "years" and alludes to the length of a donkey's ears. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hana Matsuri (2023)Hana Matsuri is a celebration of the Buddha's birthday, observed in Buddhist temples throughout Japan, where it is known as Kambutsue. The highlight of the celebration is a ritual known as kambutsue ("ceremony of 'baptizing' the Buddha"), in which a tiny bronze statue of the Buddha, standing in an open lotus flower, is anointed with sweet tea. People use a small bamboo ladle to pour the tea, made of hydrangea leaves, over the head of the statue. The custom is supposed to date from the seventh century, when perfume was used, as well as tea. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: officialbrevet - An official or authoritative message in writing. More... provost - Etymologically, an official "placed before" or "put in charge" of others, from Latin praepositus, "superintendent." More... bailiwick - Comes from bailie, "custody," and -wick, "function of an official" or "place of jurisdiction." More... probate - The official proving of a will, from Latin probatum, "thing proved." More... | |